Showing posts with label Planes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Planes. Show all posts

Friday, April 22, 2011

Assembling RC Planes and Then Flying Them

Flying and building remote control airplanes is one thing We have loved for most of my entire life. Like a good deal of folks my age, I had started out in the craft as the youngster flying control-line aircraft. My first airplane was a Cox PT-19 .049 flight trainer. It's heavy and didn't fly very well, but I loved it. After the Cox was destroyed past repair, my father took me into a actual hobby store where we selected my first package. My father must have been a model airplane fan from way back. In those days, people crafted all their models right from kits. Partially put together ARF (Almost Ready to Fly) models were not even readily available during those times. Consequently, from the starting point, I had sit and learn to build airplanes prior to when I managed to get a chance to fly them.
Ages later, I started flying radio control planes. I started using a 2 meter glider, then migrated on to powered flight. The earliest ARF form of plane I ordered was a Duraplane Aerobat 40. It was expected to be almost indestructible. I did eventually manage to wipe out it, nevertheless. It had been hefty and was required to be flown at a high rate of speed. What I came to understand in the beginning is that often these prefabricated ARF planes were convenient, however were a tad heavy and did not fly as well as my kit built airplanes.
The same holds true in the present day. One of the best flying aircraft is one that's built solid, light and true. The old saying is "build light-flies right" and "build straight-flies great". When you purchase an ARF or a RTF (Ready To Fly) R/C airplane today, you are most likely getting a product that was slapped together in some manufacturing unit in China as quickly as feasible, using the lowest priced elements and supplies to complete the job. Unquestionably, some ARFs are better than some others, but even the good ones really don't compare with the caliber of a products you will find inside a respectable RC kit.
The fact is that, the complete cost of a kit designed plane compared to a pre-built aircraft is approximately exactly the same. Since you may get a great .40 size RC trainer kit for around $75, perhaps it will cause you to think that it is cheaper than getting a similar type of ARF plane for somewhere in the market of $110. Just what you ought to contemplate is you could possibly still have to get a gas tank, wheels, wheel collars, fuel tubing, adhesives, covering material along with other goods that are not included in your RC kit. Most of the good RC kits will list necessary pieces to complete the task. This one thing is enough to steer some folks who are wanting to be in the air on to obtaining an AFR or RTF form of plane. Why might you need to pay for something that will take days or weeks to build if it costs the same as a pre-built aircraft?
A better solution for me is merely the pleasure from the building process. If you value playing or making use of your hands in making things, then you'll very likely love creating an aircraft from an RC kit. But for anyone who is uncertain to try to build anything at all after the catastrophe when using the particle board entertainment center your spouse dragged home from Wal-mart you can set up, give yourself a break. The plans that come in the good quality kits usually are full-size and also well crafted. Almost all folks are at the standard skill-level and often will do fine building from a kit. Should you fit into that category, you could always ask your kids (or grandkids) to assist.

Friday, September 3, 2010

How To Buy Indoor-Flight Model Planes

Flying models planes is a great hobby to indulge in, but sometimes you might not have so much fun especially when the weather is not conducive to allow you to fly your model outside. Due to this, you need to buy models which can also be flown indoors. Some flying clubs have aerodromes when their members can come and fly their planes. But while buying models planes which can be flown indoors, you should consider a number of factors.

First you should know which model types to go for. There are some special planes which can be flown indoors. Park flyers can also be flown indoors, but only certain docile and small models that can 'be tamed' to be flown within enclosed places like gyms, dance halls, and aerodromes. Rubber-powered planes or glider planes are also very common types of planes that can be flown indoors. Most of these planes come as kits which need to be assembled. There are some things you should know before buying these indoor gliders. First you should know that they are free flyers. This means that they lack propulsion and are not controlled by the modelers. It is important also to know that these indoor flying models are more fragile that ordinary models whether they come as ready to fly or assembled from kits.

Most indoor flying models are powered by rubber bands which is tightly wound and released to give them 'propulsion'. Other common ones are the glider and then of course there are the electric ones which are remote controlled. There are many models available in the market. Some of these models are piper cub and Fokker tri-plane models and there are other elegant designs, but which have no real life resemblance. And while buying these models, you should consider the scale. The scale you take will determine how well you will enjoy flying them and how easy it will be. 'Peanut' scale is the most popular and has a wingspan of up to 13 inches.

And if you opt for electric airplanes, always bear in mind that there is more money spent on them than on free flying types. This is because they are equipped with electric engine and need a radio device for control. It is advisable to buy the almost-ready-to-fly plane kits, since they come with all the support equipment and accessories and are cheaper than ready-to fly models. And whether you are opting for the free flying models or the electric models, it is imperative to consider joining a flying club near you. From these clubs, you can gain a lot of knowledge on how to fly and maintain your plane. The members can also give you tips on which models are good and how you can learn flying, in an enclosed place.

Lastly, remember that electric powered model planes are cheaper to buy and maintain that gas or 'wet fuel' model planes. The electric models designed for indoor flying don't have much speed and throttle power. So, chose carefully before you hit the roof!